In Jude, the author compares false teaching to several Old Testament examples, and three of these in verse 11 are Cain, Korah, and Balaam. In this lesson we’re going to examine Cain’s falling into sin and the lessons we can take from his spiritual depression.

Cain’s Downward Spiral

In Genesis 4, we find the record of the sacrifices by Cain and Abel. Here we see Cain struggling with spiritual issues after his sacrifice is rejected by God. Genesis 4:5 records Cain becoming very angry, and his countenance falls. When asking Cain about his anger, God reminds him that sin is crouching at Cain’s door, but He encourages Cain that he can rule over this sin. However, Cain gives in to the sin and murders his brother Abel.

Cain enters a downward spiral from the moment of his sacrifice. When his inferior sacrifice is rejected, he is not angry at himself for not offering his best. Rather, he seeks an outward target for his aggression. Proverbs 15:13 tells us that a glad heart is reflected on our outward conduct, but a sorrowful heart breaks the spirit. Here, Cain has a sorrowful heart, and it begins to eat away at his character.

God looks to console and redirect Cain, rhetorically asking him why he is angry. He is trying to get Cain to think. This is similar to II Corinthians 13:5 when Paul asks the Christians in Corinth to examine themselves, testing their adherence to the true faith. God is telling Cain to see if these troubles are coming from within himself. He is giving Cain a chance to self-examine and avoid the sin lurking in his heart, waiting to consume him.

Cain Victimizes Himself

I Peter 5:8 describes the devil as a lion stalking his victims, but James 4:7-8 reminds us that we can resist the devil, who will flee as a result. John 13:12-17 records Jesus washing His apostles’ feet as an example of humility and servitude, and He calls them blessed if they follow this pattern. God can see Cain’s spiritual depression, and he reminds Cain that he is blessed if he does what he should. Cain can resist this sin. He can make the devil flee.

Genesis 4:8 records Cain telling something to Abel, and we don’t know the contents of this conversation. Regardless, what it comes down to is a struggle within Cain between God’s way and man’s way, and Cain chooses man’s way. His downward spiral leads him to murder his own brother. Likewise, we can wallow in spiritual depression, letting our anger fester, avoiding doing what is right. He even lashes out at God in verse 9, asking God if he is responsible for his brother. When punished for his action, Cain still blames God for his problems. His heart has hardened.

Avoiding a Hardened Heart

Hebrews 3:12 warns us to be careful of bearing an evil heart. Time and again, the Hebrew author warns of the dangers of hardening our hearts. When we go down this path, Hebrews 6:6 tells us that repentance becomes near impossible, and we continue to crucify our Savior. None of us want to go down this path, but when we put our way before God’s, we start down that path. I Peter 5:6 calls on us to humble ourselves under God’s hand, and He will lift us up.

Cain may have been hurt and frustrated, but he could have still chosen God’s way. He could have humbled himself before God and examined himself rather than blamed others. The story would have turned out differently. We have the same choice every day between our way or God’s way. Our goal should be to soften our hearts to God’s word and submit to His will, allowing Him to cleanse us and grant us His promises.

By Tim Smelser

Tags: examples, attitude, temptation

We deal with temptation and sin in our daily lives, and, in this lesson, we’re going to look at Samson as an example. He’s an individual we may be able to relate to, for, while he is referred to as a hero of faith and a judge of Israel, his struggles and flaws are identifiable in our own lives.

In Judges 13, we read of Manoah whose wife is unable to bear children, but they are promised a child with the condition that he would be a Nazarite, separated to God by an oath. Despite this, sin would deceive him, entrap him, and cost him dearly. I Corinthians 10:11-12 reminds us that these events are recorded for our benefit, to remind us of our own precarious position and help us prepare for our Christian walk.

Samson’s Struggles with Temptation

Jesus calls Satan the father of lies. The very nature of temptation is to entice us toward something that is not what it appears to be. In Judges 14, Samson chooses a woman among the Philistines to be his wife. Despite the counsel of his parents, he insists on this woman as a wife. He may have self-justified his actions to himself and others, but this engagement ends in problems. Unfortunately, he doesn’t learn his lesson, and in Judges 16, Samson finds a Philistine prostitute, and he falls for Delilah three verses later. He sees the immediate gratification of these choices, but temptation blinds him to the consequences thereof. Sin does not deliver on its promises.

Samson’s sins eventually entrap him. He continually went places and associated with people he should have avoided. Judges 16:5 begins the plot to ferret out Samson’s secret. He initially misleads Delilah regarding the source of his strength, and she continuously tries these methods out. Samson, unfortunately, does not learn his lesson, and he continues to play along until he finally divulges his true secret – allowing the Philistines to capture him. He allowed himself to be trapped emotionally and physically by this woman. His strength was something God gave him, but Samson treated it casually.

Finally, Samson’s sins cost him dearly. In verse 21, Samson loses his eyes. From here, the Philistines imprison and enslave him. The end result of these sins is his own death. Samson’s sins cost him much – up to his own life. He loses his reputation, his strength, his sight, and his life.

Our Application

Proverbs 6:27 asks if a man can hold fire to his chest or walk on coals without being burned. Have you ever tried to grab something out of the oven without protection, thinking you can avoid being burned? How does that work for you? We cannot associate with temptation and expect to remain sinless. Proverbs 14:16 admonishes us to be wise and turn away from evil. I Corinthians 6:9 calls upon to not be deceived, and Galatians 6:7-8 states likewise. I Timothy and Titus tell us to be wise and sober-minded. We fool ourselves when we think we can flirt with temptation and remain unaffected.

Psalm 1 blesses the man who avoids associating with sin, and verse 1 describes a progression of being interested in sin to being encircled by it. Think of Lot’s progression from camping outside Sodom to living in the midst of it. We begin by just sinning a little, but we can be trapped by it before we are aware of it. James 1:14 uses the imagery of bait set out before us, luring us toward a trap. Sin is an entrapment when we give into its allure.

Sin costs us our sight of Heaven, of God, and of who we are. Sin imprisons us as slaves of Satan. Sin takes our spiritual lives from us. Romans 6:23, Ezekiel 18:4 both speak of the terminal nature of sin. We lose everythiong that truly matters when sin entraps us and exacts its cost from us.

John 3:3-5 calls on us to be born again to see and enter God’s kingdom. When we are reborn, we are separated to God for holy service, not unlike Samson’s consecration at birth. We need to remember our obligations to God when we face temptation. Romans 6:6 describes our sinful selves as crucified and released from slavery to sin. We have the power and ability to overcome sin in our lives if we use the strength God gives us.

By Tim Smelser

Tags: sin, examples, temptation, parallels

In Luke 14:31, Jesus is speaking about preparation and counting the cost of discipleship. One of the illustrations He uses discusses a king preparing for battle, and this carries with it the idea of knowing the opposition one is up against. Throughout history, we can see examples of successful military commanders who anticipated and outmaneuvered the enemy he was up against. In our Christian life, we need to know the opposition we are up against and who is our true enemy. We have to be prepared to face our enemy. We have to know what he is capable of and how we can withstand him.

In I Peter 5:8, the apostle Peter (once chastised by Jesus as behaving like Satan) warns us against the devouring nature of the devil. Satan is referred to as our adversary, as a liar. He is the complete antithesis of Jesus in our spiritual lives. II Corinthians 2:11 reminds us to remain aware of Satan’s techniques. When Jesus is tempted in the gospels, He recognizes the advantages Satan is trying to gain, and our enemy will try to gain a hold over us. We should be knowledgeable about him so we can be adequately prepared in resisting his temptations in our lives.

The Tools of Satan

He manipulates our desires. In II Corinthians 2, Paul might be referring back to the events of I Corinthians 5 where a man was living in an immoral relationship with his mother. Paul admonishes their tolerance of such sin in that chapter, and, back in II Corinthians 2:1-7, Paul seems to directly reference the action the congregation took against this individual and his subsequent repentance. However, prior to that repentance, Satan was using this own man’s desires against him. We can desire and strive for good things, but Satan can take those urges and turn them toward things that will draw us from God (II Timothy 2:22). In James 1:15 warns us that our desires open us to temptation, but in chapter 4:7 encourages us that resisting Satan will drive him away. I John 2:16-17 reminds us that much of sin can be boiled down to desires, but these desires will one day pass away while our souls live on.

He exploits our grief. Returning to II Corinthians 2:7, Satan can utilize the opposite end of the spectrum. Once we realize the error of our ways and we view the consequences, sorrow may set in. In this verse, Paul warns Christians that this sorrow can also bring about bad results. Judas and Peter stand as contrasting characters in dealing with regret. Judas’ regret led him to suicide while Peter’s grief strengthened his resolve. Sorrow can become self-destructive and lead us to believe that we are useless to God and to others, but we should be prepared to lift each other out of grief and encourage one another toward good works. What if David had been consumed by his sorrow after being confronted by his sin? What if Paul had been consumed in grief after being confronted by Jesus? Satan makes things seem darker than they actually are. How many of us have head the expression, “God has forgiven me, but I cannot forgive myself.” To this Paul says to forget those things that are in the past in Philippians 3:13. Once we repent, our sins are the past. We cannot let them consume us. We must press forward.

He makes sin seem tolerable. Remaining in context of the events in Corinth, the congregation was tolerating the sins within their walls. In Galatians 6:1, Paul encourages Christians not to accept sin but to rather work on restoring such an individual to God. When sin seems tolerable, Satan gains an advantage over an individuals and other members of a congregation. Tied in with this is our own pride. In the case of Corinth, there was a rapidly growing congregation with much to be proud of. I Corinthians 5:2 calls the congregation as puffed up, and he chastises them for their pride in verse 6. This pride and toleration will prevent us from being able to admit wrong or regret for actions. Instead, our hearts must remain open to God’s word and open to ourselves when we see sin in our own lives or those of others.

He uses false teachers. This is not someone who makes a sincere mistake. To be false carries an idea in it of intentionally and willfully teaching incorrect concepts with full knowledge of his or her error. In II Corinthians 11:13-14, Paul warns us that Satan will wear the clothes of an angel. Falsehood can be wrapped in an attractive passage, even quoting scripture to make it seem more palatable. Someone teaching falsely will not be obvious or warn a congregation of his or her intentions. We must be willing to test what we hear and search the scriptures to see if the things being taught are true.

Conclusion

Desires, guilt, tolerance, pride, falsehoods – Satan uses all of these techniques to gain an advantage over us, be can withstand him. We are not ignorant of his devices, and our faith can stand against him – driving him from our lives. Our Father is there to support us and take on our burdens. We can proactively keep Satan from taking over our lives if we keep our focus on God and the goal we have to spend eternity with Him. The struggles we have here are temporary and short-lived when compared to the eternity we can share with our Lord.

By Tim Smelser

Tags: satan, sin, temptation

In his book Studying Sin Seriously, Wendell Winkler speaks to the results of sin – its decisiveness, its deceptiveness, its disgracefulness and destructiveness. Sin is a topic we should, in fact, take seriously, and, in this lesson,w e are going to look at the basic nature of sin and what it does to us as Christians.

The Nature of Sin

In I John 3:4, sin is equated with lawlessness. It is a violation of God’s law when we set our will over that of God’s. James 4:17 also categorizes sin as omitting God’s will from our actions – the distinction we sometimes make between sins of omissions and sins of commissions. These omission sins are illustrated throughout Matthew 25, first with the parable of the foolish virgin, then with the parable of the unprofitable servant, and finally with the picture of judgment. The punished individuals in all of these are those who fail to do what they know they should.

Finally, Romans 14:19-23 defines sin as a violation of conscience (as illustrated by eating meat that has been sacrificed to idols.) A feeling of guilt is a good indication of sin, but a calloused conscience is not an indicator of sin’s absence in our lives. There is a danger that we can grow so used to a sinful activity that we no longer notice its presence.

Our Attitude Toward Sin

Proverbs 14:9 warns us against mocking sin – minimizing it in our minds. Additionally, we may be fond of specific sinful activities. We may addicted to the pleasures sin can temporarily bring us. We get caught up in the here and now, missing the larger picture. II Corinthians 5:17 states that we become something new when we become Christians, and that involves putting away our love with sin.

We cannot afford to tolerate our own sinning or minimizing our actions. We can label sin whatever we want, but that does not change the actions we are involved in. Also, unlike Felix in Acts 24, we should address sin immediately in our lives. Repentance should not be low on our list of priorities when it is needed.

How Can We Overcome Sin?

Spending time with our Bibles helps fill our minds with defense against worldly bombardment, and, the more time we spend on God’s word, the less time we have to engage in sin. Also, James 4:8 encourages us to have an active prayer life. We can use prayer to draw near to God and to obtain forgiveness for the times we do fail.

In I Corinthians 11:28, Paul encourages us to examine ourselves. This is in context of the Lord’s Supper, but it has broader implications. We know ourselves better than anyone, and we are capable of seeing things in our lives that none but God may know about. Likewise, being aware of the company we keep can be a form of prevention.

Finally, just keeping ourselves busy with the Lord’s work will reduce our opportunities to sin – both physical work and spiritual work. A sincere conviction in living each day as if it were our last will help us keep our focus. How do we want God to assess our lives: as living for ourselves or as living for Him?

Conclusion

God takes sin very seriously in the scriptures, and, if we are to avoid it in our own lives, we too must see it for what it is – a terrible force that separates us from our God when we choose to engage in it. Fortunately, even when we do sin, God's grace and mercy allows us to return to Him and be forgiven, starting over with a clean record and a clean conscience.

By Nate Mishler

Tags: identity, behaviors, sin, temptation

Opening in Proverbs 25, the author makes several comparisons through this chapter, like in verses 11, 14, and 28. It is this last comparison we are going to be examining in this lesson, in which the author brings up the subject of self control – comparing such an individual to an ancient city lacking its defensive walls. Without self control, our defense against temptation and sin is what is at stake. We are vulnerable, unrestrained, and volatile if our lives lack this quality.

In Galatians 5, as Paul has encouraged his readers to walk by the spirit, he contrasts this walk with the works of the flesh. In verses 22-23, he qualifies self-control as a fruit of the spirit. In Titus 1:8, self control is listed as a quality found in spiritual leaders. I Peter 1:5-9 lists this quality as something we should develop in our spiritual maturation. FInally, Acts 24:25, Paul discusses self-control in the context of talking about Christ-worship.

Why Should I Be Working On Self Control?

Matthew 16 contains the context of Peter’s confession and Jesus’ preaching that He will be crucified as part of His ministry. What it took for Christ to endure the cross was self control. In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says that anyone who would follow Him should deny self for the cause. This verse speaks clearly to the concept of self control. To be a Christian, one must crucify self, with the demands and desires our selves might make that are contrary to the life a Christian should lead.

Romans 12:1-2 calls us a living sacrifice (linking to Matthew 16:24), warning us to avoid conformation to worldly standards. Living by these standards requires control over self. In the same chapter, verses 17-18 warn us against doing harm to people who wrong us in some way, and we are encouraged to try to live peaceably with all we come in contact with. In Philippians 4:8 simply instructs us to focus our minds on wholesome things, again requiring a level of self control that takes effort and focus.

How Do I Develop Control?

Apply God’s word. Psalm 119:9 makes it plain that study and application is the key starting point to getting our lives under control. We pore over information regarding our interests. We make time for which we want to make time, and it help us develop self control to set aside time to study our Bibles. Psalm 119:11 equates Biblical knowledge with avoiding sin.

Weigh the consequences. Mark 8:36 asks what good it is to gain all things but lose that which matters most. We weigh consequences in so many areas of our lives (major purchases, new jobs, a major move, etc.), and this applies to sin and temptation as well. What do I gain versus what I lose? Is the short-term gain worth the long-term loss?

Pray. I Peter 5:6-7 tells us God cares about us and allows us to bring our cares to Him. If it causes me anxiety, God cares. If I want self control in my life, I can pray for my areas of weakness.

Draw strength from God. Our struggle with sin is not a fair fight. Philippians 4:13, Paul states that he can do all things in “Him who strengthens me.” We can gain the self control we need through God’s strength and guidance.

Conclusion

Self control is not going to just happen to us. We have to put effort into developing this control. In I Corinthians 6:12-13 illustrates a lack of self control among the Christians in Corinth, and verse 12 wars us against letting anything have control over our selves. If we are going to live as Christians, we cannot allow external influences to tear us away from the path we have chosen. We need to control ourselves and follow the example Christ set for us – denying self and pressing forward.

By Tim Smelser

Tags: behaviors, growth, temptation

In Romans chapters 7-8, there are some verses that can be very challenging to us as Christians. Beginning in Romans 7:15, Paul expresses an idea that he does not understand his own actions and that he follows behaviors that go against his desire. He is describing a struggle between good and evil within himself, and we are going to look at that struggle as it applies to our own lives.

The Struggle Against Evil

This struggle is real. Many Christians seem afraid to admit that they struggle against sin. We think that a “real Christian” should not have to struggle, and we think such difficulties reflect poorly on our spiritual maturity. However, we see some very strong characters in the Bible face this struggle. Right here we have Paul – author of the majority of the New Testament. Also Peter is an example of one who struggles with consistency in his own life, from zealousness to denial and back. Even Jesus, in Matthew 4, is faced with temptation for forty days, and in verse 11, angels come to attend to Jesus after the ordeal concludes (see also Hebrews 2:18). If these individuals find temptations to be a struggle, then I will as well.

We have a powerful opponent. Aside from God’s love and the saving blood of His son, sin is the most powerful force in the universe. Isaiah 59:1-2 describes sin as something that drives a wedge between myself and God. Ezekiel 18:4 and Romans 6:23 both describe sin as a killing force. However, we know that God will not allow our temptation to be stronger that what we can overcome. Ephesians 6:10-11 tells us to equip ourselves with the Lord’s word to help us stand against this enemy who does not fight fair. Satan knows how to make sin look god and enticing, and we have to be prepared to defend ourselves. (See also I Peter 5:8-9 and II Corinthians 2:11.) Satan is stronger than any of us unless we have Christ on our side.

This struggle is one of life and death. We have already looked at two verses (Romans 6:23 and Ezekiel 18:4) that reinforce this point. What happened when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden food – they suffered spiritual death, and their bodies began to die. Why did Satan attack Job? Job was spiritually alive, and Satan wanted Job to die. Even though we have an enemy, we are the ones accountable for our actions in II Corinthians 5:10 and Romans 12:14. The struggle is not what we should fear; it is the absence of struggle. It takes two to fight, and if we are not struggling against temptation, then we may have already lost.

We can overcome. Romans 7:24-25 begins in despair, but Paul turns attention to the salvation found in God, claiming that those in Jesus are free from the condemnation of sin (8:1). We are lost to Satan when we are Christ’s, but he will try to get us back. I John 1:5-2:6 tells us Christ’s blood cleanses us while we walk in the light and confess those sins that have temporarily overtaken us. John speaks of knowing our Lord through keeping His commandments and following His example. Still in I John, chapter 5:4 tells us that our faith in God is what helps us overcome those temptations that assail us. Our active, faithful obedience protects us in this struggle.

Conclusion

Satan is stronger than any of us, but we can find refuge and protection in Christ. We may try to win this struggle before coming to Christ, but this approach does not work. It is Jesus and His word who helps us overcome our enemy. If we but accept the help He offers and come to Him on His terms, we can be victorious in our struggle against sin.

By Tim Smelser

Tags: sin, growth, endurance, temptation